Moving!

Hey all!
Just to let you know Paper, Fabric, Life and Strife has moved to a new address, it also has a new name. Please go here; http://farawayme.wordpress.com/ and if you have me on your blogroll please amend to the new address. x
Wordpress has more of the features I am after and although I love my blogger blog especially the way it can be personalised, I have decided it is worth the change for many other reasons.
Hope you like the new blog!

Bev and little Ollie x x x

Finally

It is so long since I last updated. It isn't that I wasn't making over Christmas, just that the things I made were gifts so to play it safe I didn't post them. I also forgot to photograph them so I will have to get my sisters to email me some shots to put on the blog.
It has been a bit hectic since being back, Ollie had his first cold (not surprising when being around so many people over Christmas), among other things. So I finally got round to making the Thankyou cards today, nothing special really, I just used things I had about the place. Some photocopies of some flowers I made in this previous post and some coloured pencils were all I could grab. They looked better than I thought, and it is the thought that counts after all.

Ollie had a wonderful time for his first Christmas, all that paper was thrilling for him, and his favourite gift? A helium balloon of Father Christmas! I love this picture because Carl was just being silly and you can see the look of wonder on Ollie's' face at the balloon.

Hey hey wait a minute Mr Postman!

What you got there?
A couple of days ago I received a late birthday pressie in the post. Apart from the fact it was lovely to receive something that was not a bill, it was wrapped in tissue paper(all the best gifts are wrapped in tissue paper) and had this lovely card attached. The gift is from Lynn at Gigibird , thanks so much Lynn x
I was so chuffed with the book, it is fantastic. What better way to learn about the talent of many other bloggers? There were also patterns to make some beautiful creations, I see a few Christmas possibilities here...and a few things to make just for me.
The end of the day was lovely and there was this beautiful pink sunset;
* I realise it has been a little while since I have posted some crafting creations. This is mainly because life and more specifically health issues have taken over of late. I have a few things in the pipeline and will be adding more soon.

Happy Birthday to me!

Aaah so, it is my Birthday today. More excitingly it is my first birthday as a mummy and I received my first "mummy card" from Ollie, and chocolates (clever boy). It was a birthday spent in a wonderful place we all call Ikea. We needed a table for out kitchen, so planned to shop for my pressie after, but had no time so it has been postponed until another day. I did have a lovely day, I received a cookbook by Tana Ramsay, clothes, money and also this book, by this very talented blogger. A few Christmas pressie ideas I feel. Very Chuffed.
I feel happy I got to spend my birthday with my two favourite boys.

feeling the chill

This morning we woke up to a very cold day and the realisation that winter is really here. Putting the washing out this morning I discovered very crunchy grass courtesy of Mr Jack Frost. Admittedly it looks lovelier than it feels.

We arrived back yesterday from a long weekend in the UK, back to visit my family, although my parents were on holiday in Madeira, lucky things. I did get to see my sisters and nephew's and also my in laws which was really lovely, I had a great time.

The pictures above are of the Canterbury City Wall and the old buildings, it was interesting trying to photograph in a moving car at dusk, but seeing it always reminds me of "home".

I am looking forward to my birthday on Monday when I am going to receive, among other things a craft book by a very talented blogger. Can't wait.

16th Birthday gift - with a Japanese twist

This was a late pressie for my baby sister Stephanie who turned 16 on the 14th of October. There is almost exactly 10 years between us so I find it very strange that she can possibly be this old, as she would say, "it's just preposterous!!"

I managed to put this together in an evening, my hubbie travels to Japan with his company and I always make him bring back a newspaper for crafty things, so I used that, some handmade paper (made be these fair hands), some machine embroidery flowers and some peeling spray-painted buttons. I think I was going for some kind of vintage/Japanese look. The writing under is "Stephanie" in Kanji Japanese. I asked Carl to ask one of his Japanese colleagues to do it for me and he kindly did.

I'm really pleased with it, Stephie loves it and I think I might now do a collection to try and sell.


Other exciting news is that Ollie ate food for the first time this weekend. (see food blog). We haven't fed him in his new highchair yet, but here is a photo of him trying it out;Good old Ikea.

Ollie. Photos. Moving House.

Click to play Make your own Smilebox

I discovered this when trying to send an ecard to someone, actually quite cool, this is some photos we took of Ollie during moving weekend. My mum was there (Oma means Grandma) and my Auntie too. Very helpful they were, Ollie just turned 4 months today. Such a big boy now! So we're all in and almost all unpacked. phew. Can't wait to get my art stuff out and start creating again. x

Baby Birthday Toes (For Daddy)

Carl's Birthday today, being short on cash (having just bought a house) I put my creative head on and made a gift, and card. Carl took some photos of Ollie's hand and feet two days after he was born that he was really proud of. So I had these blown up, got the alphabet stamps and some paper and fabric out and made this;

I've called it "Baby Fingers, Baby Toes" as that is also what the words say. We also made a quick card, not much as all my craft stuff is packed and at the new house! (with the birthday candles, see food blog)

Carl was really chuffed with his pressie so all is good. Not much time for celebrating though, back to finishing the packing....

Houses and Buttons

Yesterday we finally signed the rest of the papers and got the keys to our house. We now own our first house. Very exciting.
We move in properly next Thursday when the my parents come over from the UK to help us with the move.
Other exciting news is that I was so bored yesterday evening (after all the excitement) that I sorted my buttons into colour coded bags, whats more sad is that I actually rather enjoyed it.

Now, Esther tagged me in her post, so, now I have to think of seven interesting things about me......

1. I absolutely LOVE karaoke. I used to do competitions when I was younger. I came fourth once, lost out to an Elvis impersonator! (Oh the shame) I was 16 at the time. My friend and I have recently vowed to enter The X Factor next year, so you may see us humiliate ourselves for fun.

2. I met my hubbie at school. We were in the same tutor group and spent the last year flirting, we didn't get together until a few weeks after we left when we were both almost 17. We'll have been together ten years next June. Married for three.

3. I am named after a pub in Canterbury near to where my parents lived called "Ye Olde Beverlie". Although my mum drew the line at spelling it the same, so it's "Beverly".
4. I once met Will Young when I was working at a hotel/Golf Club. He was staying there for a wedding and asked me if I had a lighter (I know lame). But he was really polite and the only one of the group who smoked outside, considering it was non smoking in the hotel.

5. I'm one of five girls, just like the Bennett's! I am the second eldest, we are; Carly, Bev, Leanne, Marie and Stephanie. We're all really close. Me and Leanne look really alike.

6. I have Crohn's disease (that parts not too interesting). But, it took the NHS six years to not diagnose me and tell me that I had IBS and also it may be "in my mind" (basically "your crazy"!) Then I moved to Belgium and they diagnosed me in two weeks. By that time I was very ill and had to have surgery, boo hoo. But at the moment I'm in remission, yay!

7. I used to have a pet dog called Sammy that I found on my paper round when I was 12. He died last year, he was a yorkie.

Only do it if you want to.......
Here are the rules which you must abide by if you are tagged.

1. Link to your tagger and post these rules.
2. Share 7 facts about yourself: some random, some weird.
3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post and list their names (linking to them).
4. Let them know they've been tagged by leaving a comment at their blogs.

Mrs Nesbitt
Amy
Jane
LucyKate Crafts
Paula Scinto

I could only think of 5 being new to this! byeeee x

creations and vexations

So, today I made corsage number two, in my mission to use the huge "stash" of fabric I have collected over a few years I have gone for a more simple and subtle colour scheme this time. The button is completely see through and there are some pearl type beads under some of the outer petals.

Ollie was a little angel and slept while I made the corsage.
This leads me onto the thing that is annoying me; living in Belgium I have begun to notice the difference in views on childcare between me and "them". Belgian women are great and I admire their drive to do well in their jobs. But from conversations I and my hubbie have had it is pretty clear that the large majority of the women go back to work 3 months after having a baby and that staying at home to look after your child is not really "done" so much here. People just don't understand my choice, but I don't understand how looking after your own child can ever be seen as "second choice". I could go back to teaching if I wanted and put Ollie into child daycare but why would I if I don't NEED to?
I am in no way criticising peoples choice to work, but I feel like my choice is looked down upon, like my life has no meaning. Actually I feel my life has more meaning because of my choice. I know I'll have no regrets and will get to see all of my son's "firsts" and his lovely smiles all day long. I have my art, crafts, hubbie and more importantly my Ollie, and I don't need anymore than that.